The Onderon Beast Riders
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War See also: GaW Military Units The Beast Riders of Onderon are a curious military force of criminals who banded together into a guerilla army before eventually morphing into an elite royal strike unit. Onderon is a kill-or-be-killed jungle planet that became even more lethal with the arrival of Drexls- winged monsters, tained by The Dark Side, that spawned on the Dxun moon. The planet's colonists built the great walled city of Iziz to keep the beasts at bay, and the titanic fortress (The planet's only major settlement) housed millions. Iziz's monarchy exiled criminals and dissidents into the savagery outside the city walls, but instead of becoming prey for the Drexls, the outcasts learned to tame them. The new clans of Beast Riders established a hierarchy based on the idea that might makes right. The head warlord carries the title of Beast Lord and possesses a long list of victories and the most fearsome Drexl. Dozens of clans sprang up in the Onderon wilderness, with each clan warlord paying fealty to the Beast Lord. The outcasts also tamed nonflying Boma for ground raids and to guard their structures. However, the dragonlike Skreev remain untrainable, as do Onderon's Zakkegs, Cannoks, and other predators in the planet's unforgiving ecosystem. When the Beast Rider society grew sufficiently large, it fixed its sights on Iziz. Beast Lord Kinch Sunka launches the first attack on the walled city, triggering a war that lasts for centuries. Iziz's defenders fight back with pulse-wave cannons and antiaircraft gunnery emplacements. The outnumbered clans of the Beast Riders view the war as a crusade. They realize that they cannot hope to seize and control all of Iziz; their goal is to breach the palace's defenses and kill the royals responsible for banishing their ancestors. Circa 4,000 BBY, Beast Lord Oron Kira begins a secret romance with Galia, the princess of the Iziz ruling family. Helped by The Jedi Order, the Beast Riders overthrow the Sith-influenced monarchs King Ommin and Queen Amanoa, and Oron Kira becomes the official consort of the new queen. The newfound legitimacy of the Beast Riders elevate it to the status of a special aerial unit attached to Onderon's planetary defense force. During The Great Sith War, the Beast Riders chase the invading Mandalorians to the Dxun moon, but payback came during The Mandalorian Wars when The Mandalorians overwhelmed Iziz's defenses and conquered Onderon. Many members of the Beast Riders perish in the campaign to unseat The Mandalorians. Its ranks were later divided during the Onderon Civil War of 3,951 BBY. After Onderonian General Vaklu fails in his bid to overthrow Queen Talia, the Beast Riders- except for mercenary holdouts such as the Skelda Clan- is united and reorganized under the banner of the Republic. Methods The members of The Onderon Beast Riders are distinguished by their relationships with their flying mounts. Every aspect of their training is focused on forming bonds with their Drexls, and members of the Beast Riders consequently receive little formal training in tracking, stealth, sabotage, or hand-to-hand combat. In the air, however, they are unmatched. Drexls (Also known as Warbeasts) are gigantic creatures with blaster-resistant hides, ferrocrete-shredding claws, and teeths that can bite the head off a Rancor. The riders control their mounts through subtle shifts in body position. Drexls possess enough intelligence to identify threats and execute the corresponding aerial maneuvers drilled into them during training. Beast Rider combatants typically attack in squadrons of 10 to 24, with multiple squadrons uniting to form wings in the event of an all-out assault. Riders use cannons (Pulse-wave or blaster, depending on the Era of Play) mounted on their Drexl's backs, and they carry handheld energy or projectile weapons. Drexls use claws and teeth to shred enemies, and the beasts employ their tremendous bulk to batter down obstacles. As blaster technology became more advanced over the millenia, The Onderon Beast Riders begin armoring its mounts with lightweight durasteel plates. When entering a structure built for Humans, riders often have to leave their mounts behind. For this reason, the Beast Lord founded a class of close-combat warriors known as the Carvers. These commandos are carried into battle on the rear of Drexls and are skilled in personal combat and in the use of bladed weapons. Missions Early in its history, the Beats Riders had a single goal: the annihilation of Iziz's hated monarchy. During these decades, the ruling Beast Lord executes tactical strikes against weak points in Iziz's defenses, hoping to penetrate as far as the palace so that his Carvers can corner and slaughter the ruling family. On several occasions, the Beast Riders succeed in killing royals, but it never causes sufficient chaos to destroy the monarchy. Helped by spies inside the city walls, the Beast Lord sometimes organizes raids on lightly defended vacation spots frequented by wealthy nobles, or shoots down ambassadorial Starships on landing approach to kidnap the passengers for ransom. Raids on Iziz's food and weapons stores occur several times each month. Following The Great Sith War, the Beast Riders become the elite advance force of Onderon's royal defenders. This development puts it in a position to wage war against The Mandalorians, who ride techno-organic Basilisk War Droids in much the same fashion as the Beast Riders. The careening, vertiginous battles against The Mandalorians give the Beast Riders an opportunity to polish its dogfighting skills. After the Onderon Civil War, the Beast Riders defend the planet against pirates and slavers, and it remains active through the Galactic Civil War and beyond. Rank Structure The members of The Onderon Beast Riders represent the most proficient of Onderon's warriors. Originally, these wild outlaws swore allegiance to the Beast Lord in order to survive, but even after the organization's acceptance into the Iziz power structure, its rank system remained largely in place. Recruits into the Beast Riders' ranks are drawn from support staff, including Boma wranglers, tribal guards, Carvers, and workers who clean the Drexl stables. If a candidate survives a ride on a maddened Drexl's back without falling to the treetops below, he or she is accepted as a novice Initiate. In time, Initiates become Warriors, the lowest rank in the Beast Riders' hierarchy. Commanding the Warriors are Berserkers. These three classes- Initiates, Warriors, and Berserkers- make up what is called the Warrior Caste. The Command Caste consists of Conquerors and Warlords (With subrankings that are distinguishable by the totem worn around their neck or arm) and is responsible for all battlefield decisions. A Conqueror can led up to 50 Warriors and Berserkers, or two squadrons. Warlords command three to five Conquerors and their subordinates. Typically, there is one Warlord for every Beast Rider settlement (Or, during later years, one for every district in the city of Iziz). Any member of the Command Caste who wishes to advance in rank must engage in sky combat with a superior officer. Winning elevates the challenger to the rank of the one challenged, and the loser is docked one rank- if he or she survives the duel. The Beast Lord rules all but can retain the title only by fending off challengers. As a result, the Beast Lord's Drexl is battle hardened and deadly. During the period following The Great Sith War, the Beast Lord is technically subordinate to the ruler of Iziz in the defense of Onderon, but often the planet's monarch and the reigning Beast Lord are one and the same. Beast Rider Nonheroic Units See also: Nonheroic Units